High Quality Web Sites: Speed

Our not-so-secret formula for success:
Content + Speed + Stimulation = Traffic!
Faster, faster, faster! You are on the web right now and that is probably what you are thinking. Developing a site for optimal performance is a task often overlooked by graphic designers. What appears cool and sleek can take almost an hour to download for some users. Even if your site has the best content in the world, if it was developed poorly or if it resides on a slow or bogged down server performance could be a important issue. DeskTech's Internet experience and network of consultants mean that we have the information that is necessary to increase the speed of your site to its maximum potential.

Just like the content and appearance of a web site, its speed and performance have controllable and uncontrollable influences. Below we mention some of these influences to keep in mind.

Controllable Influences

File Size
Keeping a page's content to a desirable size is a widely accepted, yet often disregarded fact of web design. Knowing the structure, roles, and sizes of different types of image files and markup reduction are things to keep in mind during the entire process of developing your site.

Compression
Image compression is powerful. However, when used incorrectly or by a designer inexperienced with the World Wide Web, it can be destructive to the appearance of a site.

Server Capabilities
Overlooked by most designers and web site programmers are the capabilities of the server on which your site resides. A bogged down or slow server can make the most efficient site a nightmare to access even when overall web traffic is low.

Uncontrollable Influences

Network Traffic
Even the most efficient site on the most efficient web server can have delays during periods of high network usage. These periods usually occur during in the middle of the day and early evenings during the work week.

Network Capabilities
There are many different ways that people enter cyberspace. Some people dial in using analog modems that range from the new 56K modems to modems that are slower than 14.4K. Others, such as employees of large corporations, may have high speed access from their office via T1/T3 lines, DSL or cable modem connections.